The Dead May Rise, but the Living Will Rise Higher
by killer angel girl
Summary: Reborn has gone to Namimori to train Tsuna to be decimo, but found him and his mother missing. A few weeks later, the zombie apocalypse broke out. These people, who are going around helping people, who call themselves Guardians, who exactly are they?
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this idea for a long time now and I felt like writing it instead of doing what I am supposed to be doing (Yay procrastination!).**

 **I do not Katekyo Hitman Reborn.**

* * *

The moment Reborn stepped into Namimori, he immediately knew something was wrong. The atmosphere of the entire town felt as if some great tragedy had occurred.

Ignoring the atmosphere, Reborn headed toward the house of his soon-to-be student only to discover that there was nobody there. He had thought that it was strange that Nana, based on what the moron Iemitsu had said about her, hadn't called him to tutor he no-good son. The fact that nobody was there explainedwhy she didn't call.

Reborn decided that before he called Nono, he would find out more information. Turning away from the house, Reborn headed to TakeSushi.

Arriving at TakeSush, Reborn was surprised to see that it was closed. Walking around the back of the restaurant to the attached house, Reborn knocked on the door. The elder Yamamoto answered the door and stared at Reborn in surprise. Reborn used those few moments to closely examine the man. Reborn quickly determined that he looked like complete and utter shit. His eyes were sunken, there were bags under his eyes, his black hair was a mess, and his eyes looked dead.

"Tsuyoshi," Reborn said as a greeting. "We need to talk."

"Come on in," he held the door open just enough so that Reborn's infant form could slip through. Reborn followed Tsuyoshi until they reached a sitting room. Tsuyoshi gestured for Reborn to sit down before heading into the kitchen retrieve some drinks. He returned and set a cup of espresso in front of Reborn before sitting down on a seat opposite Reborn.

Leon crawled onto the armrest, and Reborn got down to business. "What happened here, Red Swordsman?"

Tsuyoshi flinched at the use of his old nickname before responding. "Seven people have gone missing. Seven children, all under the age of fifteen, and one adult." He seemed to grow more depressed after he said it. "Shoichi Spanner, Kyoko and Ryohei Sasagawa, Haru Miura, Kyoya Hibari, Hana Kurokawa, Tsunayoshi Sawada and his mother Nana, and," Tsuyoshi hesitated for a second. "...my son Takeshi."

Reborn though for a few seconds. That explained why he looked like shit.

Wait.

Seven _children_ missing. If Nana saw something she shouldn't have and ended up getting involved, that could mean…

"Did the children have noticeable flames?"

Tsuyoshi was surprised at the question. "I'm not sure about Shoichi, Haru, or Hana, but i know for a fact that the others have flames." Tsuyoshi stopped talking for a second, but continued talking to answer Reborn's unspoken question. "My son has some of the strongest rain flames that i have ever seen. Ryohei has an incredible reserve of flames; whenever he runs he leaves a trail of sun flames behind him." Reborn noticed that Tsuyoshi was only using present tense while he was talking about the missing kids. "His sister, Kyoko, has decently strong mist flames that she often uses unconsciously. Kyoya definitely has cloud flames. Tsuna had the purest sky flames, but they were sadly sealed when he was a kid."

When he was sure that Tsuyoshi had finished, Reborn took a moment to process the information. If what Tsuyoshi said was correct, that would confirm what he thought.

Over the last month or two, children around the world had been going missing, whether civilian or mafia born. The children were all between the ages of five and sixteen. Normally, the mafia wouldn't concern themselves with this, but there was a common thing between all the children. Flames. All the children had anywhere from moderately to extremely strong flames. Nobody has yet to figure out who is taking the children, and Reborn wasn't originally interested in taking the case. Maybe he should look into it now.

Reborn was so lost in thoughts that he almost didn't hear Tsuyoshi ask, "Why is it important if they have flames?"

Reborn snapped out of his thoughts and answered, "I may have an idea about what happened to the kids."

Tsuyoshi looked somewhat relieved and sat straighter. "What is it?"

"I can't tell you yet. I'm not sure if I'm correct, plus there are no leads on the case."

Tsuyoshi deflated a bit. Reborn stood up, picked up Leon, and started headed toward the door. "I believe it is time for me to leave and investigate this matter"

Tsuyoshi, not even bothering to stand up, called out "Reborn?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you here?"

Reborn reached the door and opened it before answering, "Tsunayoshi Sawada is to be the Vongola Decimo."

He shut the door behind him before hearing Tsuyoshi's response.

Reborn wondered what he should do next. Call Nono and inform him of the situation or talk to the Hibaris first.

He decided to talk to the Hibaris first.

The Hibaris are basically the people running Namimori. They are in charge of the police force and, despite not actually being a part of any famiglia, are famous in the underground for their strength. If anybody has any information on the case, they would, especially because one of their own is missing.

After meeting with the Hibaris and learning very little new information,exept that the three other children indeed had flames, Reborn headed back to the Sawada household and let himself in. Once inside, he pulled out his phone and called Nono.

Nono cheerfully answered the phone, "How is my grandson Reborn?"

"...Nono."

Nono, hearing how serious Reborn sounded, went into his boss mode. "What happened Reborn?"

"Get Iemitsu," Reborn could barely hold in his disgust as he said the name. What kind of man didn't even know his own family was missing? "We need to have a long chat."

An hour later, Reborn hung up on the eventful call. He didn't even know Nono knew how to swear in Spanish. Iemitsu also passed out, muttering Tunafishy, and Lal had to finish the call instead.

Reborn dialed Mammon's number and started looking into who took his student and his mother.

Over the next month, more children went missing. The most noticeable to Reborn were the Bovino brat, Smoking-Bomb Hayato, and surprisingly Skull. Skull wasn't even a child. How did he even get involved?

A month after he first stepped into Namimori, Reborn found himself back at the reopened TakeSushi conversing with Tsuyoshi when he heard screams. Normally, Reborn would ignore the screams, but these screams sounded like people were being killed. Reborn ran out the door, with Tsuyoshi close on his heels. Reborn had his gun out and Tsuyoshi had his sword out.

Once outside, Reborn could not hide his shock. The view outside was straight out of a horror movie; people _who were obviously dead_ were moving around and _eating_ other people. Tsuyoshi and Reborn shared a shocked look before they started attempting to rekill the undead.

The zombie apocalypse has begun.

* * *

 **So like… I have no idea how long this story will be and i have no idea how often i will be able to update it. School started today and I am taking two AP classes and other classes with heavy workloads.**

 **So if any of you read my other story, The Shattered Mask, I renamed it Shattered Skull and I'm also attempting to rewrite it (I found out it doesn't let people know when you edit a chapter). Like in this story, I have no idea how fast the updates will be.**

 **Thank you for giving this story a chance!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have determined that it will be impossible to write the beginning few chapters in complete chronological order, so expect quite a few time skips.**

 **Warning- mention of suicide**

* * *

After the initial outbreak and the panic that followed, the world began to fight back despite losing about half its population. Militaries started fighting, civilians started fighting, anybody who could be useful fought. Countries all over the world set aside their differences and worked together to try to end the plague, to help each out. Supplies were sent to camps of survivors and warnings were sent out if anybody saw a giant heard of the undead. There were even rumors of a group of strange people in masks calling themselves The Guardians helping everybody.

Pretty early on, it was discovered that the virus blocked flames. The mafia was even more horrified when they discovered this. What kind of virus blocks _flames_? The mafia tried even harder to find the ones responsible for the virus, believing it to have been created as an attack against flame users.

Everything was fine for the first month or two despite the fact that all transportation, for things that weren't supplies, was shut down. (Well maybe not _fine._ There were zombies everywhere and people were still dying, but it wasn't as bad as it initially was.)

The communications fell and the world fell into despair again. People no longer knew if their loved ones were alive, if _anyone_ was alive anymore. Many people couldn't deal with it and decided to take the easy way out. Cities were overrun. There were no supply drops, no warnings about herds, no _news,_ no calls for help.

After the communications fell, anybody weak was quick to did. Only the strong, or people protected by the strong, were able to survive. Another quarter of the world's population died.

* * *

Soon after the undead started rise, the head of the Hibari house, Kyoya's mother Sakura, took over Namimori. The Hibari family is very powerful, most of the members being high rank police officers and Mafiosi, but very little is actually known about them.

Sakura somehow managed to calm the panicking citizens within hours, impressing Reborn. What impressed Reborn even more was the fact that there was a fence around the entirety of Namimori within a day, keeping out the rest of the zombies. Reborn and Tsuyoshi, as two of the strongest people in Namimori, were put in positions of high power in the town.

When the communications went out, Reborn was in Namimori reporting to Nono.

"Hello Nono"

"Hello Reborn. What have you found?"

"Still no trace of Tsunayoshi and still no information on where the virus originated."

"Reborn, we really need to find Tsuna. In other news, I think it is time thaw Xanxus. The Vongo-" Nono was suddenly cut off by the sounds of gunshots and screams. "Oh no no no" the lines were cut.

Reborn glared at his phone for a few seconds before trying to call Nono back, getting as no signal sound. Realizing what must have happened, Reborn crushed the phone in his infant hands.

* * *

About a month later with no news from the outside world, Namimori was in an uproar. It seemed that some of the people who had went missing before the virus started returned.

Reborn and Tsuyoshi, when they heard the news, quickly headed to the Hibari house where they were being questioned.

After being let in, they rushed to the room. When they reached the room, Reborn scanned the faces of the returnees and recognized a few from the posters around town-Kyoko Sasagawa, Hana Kurokawa, Haru Miura- and two faces recognized right away- Lambo Bovino and Nana Sawada. There was one girl that Reborn had no clue who it was, though.

Reborn took a quick moment to examine the girl closer. She was a frail looking girl, but Reborn knew better than to think she was weak; she radiated must flames. Besides the fact that she was a girl with most flames, there was no way to make out any details of the girl. She was wearing a white fox mask that completely covered her face and a knit hat that covered her hair. She couldn't be older than 15.

Reborn looked at Tsuyoshi out of the corner of his eyes and noticed how disappointed he was that Takeshi wasn't apart of the group.

The two groups stared at each other for a few moments until Sakura Hibari cleared her throat. "Now that everybody is here, let's sit down and talk."

They sat around the long table in the room, one of the servants bringing everybody drinks.

A few more minutes of silence until Sakura spoke up, looking at Nana, "Before i ask who these strangers are, i want to know where you girls got these guns," she placed some guns on the table.

"We go them from a nice man named Xanxus." Kyoko said cheerfully. Reborn almost choked on his espresso. Xanxus?!

Sakura's raised eyebrow was the only thing betraying her surprise. "Xanxus?"

Haru nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, Xanxus. "

"He also taught us how to shoot and defend ourselves." Hana added.

"Now," Sakura started," I would ask how you guys are in Japan when the man you claimed trained you is in Italy, but i have a feeling your new friend is apart of the reason." she looked at the mysterious girl appraisingly. "Why don't you introduce us."

Nana let out a bright smile. "This is Lambo!" she looked down at boy on her lap, "We had a long journey and he got sleepy so i let him nap." She suddenly sat straight and looked Sakura straight in the eye and said determinedly, "I have decided to adopt him into my family." Reborn was honestly impressed. Everything he heard about this woman claimed she was weak, but she just stood up to a woman even Reborn found a little intimidating.

Sakura, who was used to Nana's random ways from before, just nodded, accepting the fact Nana wouldn't change her mind. "And who is this young lady?"

"I am a Guardian," the girl said in a meek voice, "and i am here to make a deal with you." The adults in the room, minus Nana, were all momentarily shocked. Back when communications were still up, there was a rumour about a group of people calling themselves The Guardians. They went around helping out anybody they could for a price, and they wiped out any 'bad' survivors. The rumors were never confirmed though.

"If you truly are who you say you are," Reborn began, "how do we know we can trust you?"

The girl thought for a moment before pulling a backpack off her back, reaching into it, and pulling out what looked like a modified walkie-talkie. Sakura looked at the backpack suspiciously. She was sure that thing was empty...

"You're the Arcobaleno Reborn, right?" the girl started, causing Reborn to cover his eyes with his fedora in suspicion. Taking his response as a yes, she pushed a button on the walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Squad D, report."

"Squad D reporting." a familiar voice came out of the walkie talkie. Reborn could feel the familiar feeling of shock settling over him. It was Dino!

The girl pushed the walkie-talkie into Reborn's tiny hands. "Dino?" Reborn asked, pushing the button to talk.

"Reborn!" the voice exclaimed, half in relief and half in happiness. "I see you've met one of the Guardians!" DIno laughed. "Don't worry they are trustworthy."

So she is a Guardian… "What happened, Dino?"

Dino told about what had happened since the zombies first appeared.

 _When the virus first broke out, Dino was terrified, but he had a famiglia to protect He gathered every bit of training from Reborn, hid how scared he was, and gathered what was left of the Chiavarone Famiglia. They relied on the communications to inform the Vongola Famiglia where he was so he could get the necessary things to survive like water and ammo._

 _The loss of communication devastated his famiglia. They had to completely fend for themselves and once they were out of ammo, many of the mafioso died. They eventually ran out of food and had to create schedules for people to go out on mission._

 _Dino was useless without his famiglia and, despite what people thought, he knew it too. It was just his luck that while on a supply trip, he got separated from his famiglia._

 _He cursed his rotten luck as he stumbled once again, quickly righting himself and continued running. After taking a quick look back quickly confirmed that yes, the zombies were still chasing him, he tripped and fell._

 _Dino tried to get up but one of the zombies grabbed his leg, stopping his escape. Realizing he couldn't escape, he shut his eyes, awaiting his fate._

 _Thwack!_

 _Dino opened his eyes and saw a man brutally demolishing the small herd. While scooting away from the carnage, Dino examined the man, his savior, closer and saw that he was not a man. He was young. Possibly a teenager. And was he fighting with tree branches? Pretty well too?Dino watched the fluidity of the boys movement with a keen eye trained by Reborn._

 _Dino could see no identifying features on the boy because everything was covered. The boy was turned away from Dino, still fighting, so his face could not be seen. From what Dino could see, he was wearing a long jacket and jeans, covering all his skin, and a fedora on his head._

 _The fedora made Dino think of Reborn, and Dino got lost in his thoughts. He didn't notice when his savior defeated the tiny herd and was staring at the blond._

" _You're Dino," the teenage boys simply stated, snapping Dino out his thoughts. Dino nodded and examined the boy, his eyes immediately drawn to his face where an intricate bird mask sat. Why is the kid wearing a mask? Dino noticed the boy watching him and quickly once covered the rest of the boy. He was covered in blood, not his own but the zombies._

 _When the masked boy saw that the blond was done examining him, he said, "Romario. Follow me."_

 _Dino, confused at the sudden use of his subordinate's name, followed after the boy, stumbling as he did. The aura surrounding the boy practically radiated 'Don't talk to me', so Dino held back the many questions running through his head._

 _After walking for about 20 minutes, Dino heard a call of "Boss!" And turned to see Romario running for him._

 _Dino practically tackled Romario to the ground in relief._

 _The mysterious teenager just watched the spectacle, clearing his throat._

 _Embarrassed, Dino pulled away from Romario._

 _Dino pulled himself into boss mode. "I'm sure you didn't rescue me out of the kindness of your heart. What would you like in return?"_

 _The boy pulled a bag off his back and pulled a walkie-talkie out, chucking it at Dino's head. Dino examined it and saw a note._

" _If you're reading this, the person in the bird mask probably didn't tell you much(or probably anything). He doesn't talk much, so he has nothing against you. This walkie-talkie is so that you can get in contact with us, The Guardians. This walkie-talkie has been specially modified to work around the world, so if you ever need to contact us you can. If you ever come across a group of people who need help, contact us and one of us will show up as soon as we can. We have supplies (ammo, medical, food, etc).You/Your group/famiglia will help us out, and in return we offer our assistance to you. Not everybody we cross paths with are offered this, so think about it carefully"_

 _Dino thought it over for a minute, before telling the boy, "I need a few minutes to talk this over with the others." the boy nodded in consent._

 _After a debate with his famiglia, Dino returned to the boy and agreed. The boy made a motion to flip over the paper. DIno did and was faced with another note._

" _If you agree, we need proof of your agreement. We ask this of anybody we cross, whether they are offered this deal or not. We need something of importance to you (It can't be anything alive. Trust me, we've had people try to offer their kids to us)."_

 _Dino stared at the note in confusion. Something important? He left everything important behind at his mansion._

" _You're whip." Dino looked up at the boy. "You're whip. It's important to you. Give it to me." the boy reached out a hand. Dino hesitated for a moment. The whip belonged to his father. It's one of the only things he has left of him._

 _Looking behind him, at his famiglia, Dino came to a decision. He grabbed the whip and handed it to the boy. "Another Guardian will come and give you your supplies." the boy aid before… stepping into his backpack?_

 _Dino ran and checked the inside of the backpack, only to find the boy gone?_

 _A few minutes later another boy popped out of the bag, apologizing for the previous's behavior, and gave them supplies, along with a new whip for Dino._

"So yeah, that's what happened," Dino said. Reborn looked thoughtful. "Oh crap… I have to go! Bye Reborn!"

Sakura looked thoughtfully at the girl. She could see only Namimori's advantages to this deal, but what do the Guardians get from it?

The masked girl spoke as if she read Sakura's mind. "Boss hasn't really told us his plan yet, but Namimori has something to do with it. I would suggest agreeing to the plan."

Sakura nodded. "Boss will be by later with the details."

"Where is your boss right now?" Sakura inquired.

"At a meeting with one of our allies." Sakura nodded.

Sakura looked over at Reborn. "I'll put you in charge of this." Reborn nodded.

The girl was about to step into her backpack when Tsuyoshi spoke up for the first time. "Do you… do you know where my son is?"

The girl shared a look with Kyoko, allowing Kyoko to speak. "We do not currently know where Takeshi is, but we know he is fine."

A weight seemed to release from Tsuyoshi. The girl disappeared into the backpack.

* * *

 **Ohohoho two of The Guardians have shown up.**

 **The backpacks are a weird idea I had that will expand on later (I think this might be my own unique idea? But i don't know?).**

 **I actually had a lot of trouble with this chapter. I have SO many ideas for this story but like I don't know how to exactly word or order them. I don't know how to make them flow in a way that would make sense.**

 **This chapter was crap. I'm probably gonna go through and rewrite it at some point. I just felt like it's been too long since I updated and it's pretty late.**

 **Also hahahaha the irony of Kyoya's mother's name.**

 **If anybody has any ideas about how some of the characters have been doing (besides Xanxus, the Varia, or Byakuren) please let me know**


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